Ferrari 812 Superfast 2018 review

Imagining yourself driving a Ferrari is always a nice way to spend a few moments of your life on “when I win the lottery.” 

It's fair to assume that most people would imagine themselves wearing red on a sunny day with beautiful hair and an almost sunny smile on their face. 

The most enthusiastic among us might add a race track like the Fiorano pictured here that surrounds the Ferrari factory in Maranello and maybe even point out the famous incredible model - the 458, 488 or even the F40.

Imagine kicking in the balls when you finally get behind the wheel of one of these cars and find that its badge has the laziest and most childish name of all - "Super Fast" - and that the public roads you will be driving on are covered snow. , ice and the desire to kill you. And it's snowing so you can't see.

Sure, it's a relative punch in the gut, like being told your lottery win is only $10 million instead of $15 million, but it's fair to say that the prospect of driving the most powerful Ferrari road car ever made (they don't count La Ferrari, apparently because it is a special project) with its mental, 588kW (800hp) V12, was more exciting than reality.

Memorable, though? Oh yes, as you would expect, a $610,000 car would be like that.

Ferrari 812 2018: Super fast
Safety Rating	-
engine's type	6.5L
fuel type	Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel efficiency	15l / 100km
Landing	2 Places
Price from	No recent ads

Does it represent good value for money? What functions does it have? 6/10

Is it possible that any car—except one made of gold, studded with diamonds, and stuffed with truffles—would be a good value at $610,000? It seems unlikely, but then people who can spend so much money on analysis rate it differently and would probably say that something as powerful as 812 Superfast is worth buying at any cost.

Some would say that something as deep as this car is worth buying at any cost.

Another way to look at it is the price per liter, which is under $100,000 considering you get 6.5 liters of V12 Ferrari Donk. Or you can use kilowatts, which will cost almost $1000 for your 588 kW.

On top of that, you get plenty of leather, a high-end interior, premium looks, snob badge value that's hard to price, and plenty of F1-derived tech. And a free car cover.

Is there anything interesting about its design? 9/10

It's very... big, isn't it? And in the flesh it looks even bigger with a hood that can be used to roof over a tennis court. Overall, the Superfast is 4.6m long, almost 2.0m wide and weighs 1.5 tons, so it certainly makes an impression.

Superfast is 4.6 meters long and almost 2 meters wide.

Making something so beautiful is not an easy task, even for designers as talented as the Ferrari design team, but they succeeded. There is what looks like a mouth at the front, ready to swallow smaller cars whole, like a whale shark terminator. 

The design may seem too big to be a Ferrari, but this car is the ultimate expression of unnecessary excess.

The hood seems to flare its nostrils and looks amazing from the driver's seat, and the sloping side and tight rear complete the picture nicely.

Personally, it still looks too big to be a Ferrari, but then it's not a mid-engined supercar, it's a grandiose touring rocket ship, the ultimate expression of unnecessary excess, and it does a great job of capturing that aura.

How practical is the interior space? 7/10

Practicality isn't really your concern when you're buying a two-seater megacar like this, so let's just say it's as practical as you'd expect. Then not so much.

What are the main characteristics of the engine and transmission? 9/10

I really wanted to give the epic, huge, naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 a perfect 10 here, but when I paused to think about it, I had to admit that it was quite possibly too powerful.

588 kW and 718 Nm of torque can actually be too scary.

Yes, it's amazing to think that Ferrari can build a 588 kW (800 horsepower - hence the 812 nomenclature; 800 horses and 12 cylinders) car that doesn't just dig a hole in the road as soon as you hit the gas pedal. .

And yes, it delivers a performance that makes all other cars feel a little poor and pathetic, even really good, by comparison. 

But honestly, who could ever use all this or need all this? I think they might seem like irrelevant questions, because it's all about sheer excesses, such a machine, so really the question is if anyone wants to live with 588 kW and 718 Nm of torque, or is it just too scary really deed. ?

Well, not much, yes, but Ferrari engineers were wise enough not to give you all that power all the time. Torque is limited in the first three gears, and maximum mental power is only theoretically available at 8500 rpm in seventh gear as you approach a top speed of 340 km/h.

However, the fact that you can spin such a large and incredibly loud engine up to 8500 rpm is a joy that never tires.

In practical terms, you can hit 0 km/h in 100 seconds (although cheaper, less crazy cars can do that too) or 2.9 km/h in 200 (which is slightly slower than the much lighter McLaren 7.9S).

What you can't do, of course, is achieve any of those numbers on winter tires or on snowy roads.

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How much fuel does it consume? 5/10

Just like you can't have a good volcano without some serious lava, you can't have 800 horsepower without burning a lot of dead dinosaur slime. The Superfast's claimed fuel consumption is 14.9 l/100 km, but during our trip, the screen said "Ha!" and we burned an entire tank of fuel in less than 300 km. 

Theoretical CO340 emissions are 2 g/km.

What is it like to drive? 8/10

Insane. It's a word people often drop out of their vocabulary when describing supercar experiences because it's obvious that as vehicles, things like Ferraris and Lamborghinis aren't a smart option.

But Superfast really deserves that word, because it seems not only the opposite of common sense, but also truly crazy. It's like someone built it on a bet, realized it was a bad and possibly dangerous idea, and then put it up for sale anyway.

Imagine a little kid with tiny hands, with his greasy, post-cheeseburger toes dangling over a big red button on his desk that could wipe out humanity, and that's basically the situation your right foot finds itself in when driving a Superfast.

There's so much power here - even the limited amount the engineers allow you to use in lower gears - that it actually seems possible that you'll have Road Runner moment and just dig a hole in the ground if you push the gas pedal too hard.

Even winter tires could not keep the grip in the snow. Fortunately, we were in Italy, so we were just cheered on.

Yes, on the one hand, the sounds that this extreme V12 makes above 5000 rpm are memorable and exhilarating, like Satan himself singing Nessun Dorma in a shower of sparks. At one stage we found a long tunnel, perhaps the only dry road within 500 km that day, and my colleague forgot his rights and let go.

The numbers on my Passenger Screen were spinning like the wheels of a poker machine, then turning red, then implausible. I was pushed back into my chair like Thor himself and squealed like a little pig, but my navigator couldn't hear anything over the Monaco tunnel during the F1 sound.

Of course, even on dry roads, the winter tires we were forced (by law) to use in muddy snowy conditions couldn't maintain traction, and we constantly felt the rear end jump sideways. Fortunately, we were in Italy, so we were just cheered on.

The likelihood that you will lose traction in this car is so high that the specialists included a special feature called "Ferrari Power Oversteer" in their new "Electronic Power Steering" system. When you inevitably start to move sideways, the steering wheel will apply a little torque to your hands, “offering” the best way to get the car back in a straight line.

The proud engineer told me it was like a Ferrari test driver telling you what to do and using his skills to calibrate the system. Of course, you can override it, but it sounds eerily similar to the predecessor of autonomous driving to me.

What's disappointing about this car having EPS at all, rather than a traditional hydraulic system, is that it just doesn't feel muscular enough for a monster with hairy arms like this one.

Of course, it's precise, precise, and witty, making driving the Superfast even in wacky slippery conditions almost effortless. Nearly.

It's actually amazing how hard you can push a machine like this down a windy and wet mountain road without crashing into a muddy field.

It would be better if you had more time and more traction, but you can tell this is a car you will grow into and maybe even feel like driving after a decade or so together.

So it's good, yes, and very fast, of course, but I can't help but think that it's all a little unnecessary, and that the 488 GTB is simply, in every way, the best car.

But as a statement or collectible, the Ferrari 812 Superfast is definitely one of the history books.

Warranty and safety rating

Basic Warranty

3 years / unlimited mileage


guarantee

What safety equipment is installed? What is the safety rating? 7/10

It might not surprise you that, unlike any other company's press kits, Ferrari press kits usually don't have a "safety" section. Perhaps because driving something so powerful is inherently unsafe, or perhaps because they believe their "E-Diff 3", "SCM-E" (Dual Coil Magnetorheological Suspension Control System), "F1-Traction Control", ESC and so on will keep you on the road no matter what. 

If you take off, you'll have four airbags and a house-sized nose forming a crumple zone to protect you.

How much does it cost to own? What kind of guarantee is provided? 8/10

After you've paid the hefty entry fee, it's nice to know you're getting some stuff for free, like the first seven years of service, including all parts and work done by Ferrari's trained technicians, who even dress like mechanics. . It's called "Genuine Maintenance" and it really challenges Kia in scope.

Verdict

Clearly this is not a car for everyone and you will have to wonder if this is really a car for everyone but people who enjoy spending $610,000 on a Ferrari and waiting in line to get it done will be thrilled because it provides the kind of exclusivity and bragging rights that you should hope a car called the Superfast will.

For me personally, it's too, too over the top and definitely too crazy, but if you like rockets, you won't be disappointed.

Ferrari 812 Superfast looks a little like you or too? Tell us in the comments below.